Method for manufacture of electric motor

ABSTRACT

An electric motor is disclosed having a detachable stator tooth. In some implementations, coil windings of the electric motor may be coupled to one or more drivers independently of other coil windings. A method of repairing and manufacturing an electric motor having a detachable stator tooth is also disclosed.

FIELD:

This disclosure relates to electric motors.

INFORMATION:

In certain types of situations, accessing portions of an electric motor,such as for repairing and/or servicing the electric motor, may becomplex, difficult, inconvenient, and/or expensive, among other things.By way of non-limiting example, repairing an electric motor of an airconditioning unit, battery powered device (e.g., hand-held vacuum,drone, etc.), vehicle (e.g., train, car, etc.), generator (wind turbine,hydro-electric generator, etc.), among other things, may be difficultand/or inconvenient for certain conventional electric motors. There maybe a desire, therefore, for an electric motor for which service and/orrepair may be performed with comparative ease, such as in the fieldand/or without removing the electric motor for repair at a servicing,maintenance, and/or repair facility.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Claimed subject matter is particularly pointed out and distinctlyclaimed in the concluding portion of the specification. However, both asto organization and/or method of operation, together with objects,features, and/or advantages thereof, it may be best understood byreference to the following detailed description if read with theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an embodiment of an electric motor having adetachable stator tooth;

FIG. 2A is an illustration of a rotor and stator combination of anelectric motor embodiment showing a sample air gap separating alignedstator and rotor teeth;

FIG. 2B is an illustration of a rotor and stator combination of anelectric motor embodiment showing another sample air gap separatingaligned stator and rotor teeth;

FIG. 2C is an illustration of sample stator and rotor teeth of anelectric motor embodiment;

FIGS. 3A-3C show a sample stator tooth and coil winding according to anembodiment;

FIG. 4A is an illustration of an example transformer according to anembodiment;

FIG. 4B is an illustration of a driver circuit coupled to two coilwindings according to one embodiment; and

FIG. 5 is an illustration of a stator tooth with a split coil windingaccording to an embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an illustration of a stator and rotor according to anembodiment.

FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate alternative embodiments for fastening statorteeth to a stator.

Reference is made in the following detailed description to accompanyingdrawings, which form a part hereof, wherein like numerals may designatelike parts throughout that are corresponding and/or analogous. It willbe appreciated that the figures have not necessarily been drawn toscale, such as for simplicity and/or clarity of illustration. Forexample, dimensions of some aspects may be exaggerated relative toothers. Further, it is to be understood that other embodiments may beutilized. Furthermore, structural and/or other changes may be madewithout departing from claimed subject matter. References throughoutthis specification to “claimed subject matter” refer to subject matterintended to be covered by one or more claims, or any portion thereof,and are not necessarily intended to refer to a complete claim set, to aparticular combination of claim sets (e.g., method claims, apparatusclaims, etc.), or to a particular claim. It should also be noted thatdirections and/or references, for example, such as up, down, top,bottom, and so on, may be used to facilitate discussion of drawings andare not intended to restrict application of claimed subject matter.Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken tolimit claimed subject matter and/or equivalents.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

References throughout this specification to one implementation, animplementation, one embodiment, an embodiment, and/or the like meansthat a particular feature, structure, characteristic, and/or the likedescribed in relation to a particular implementation and/or embodimentis included in at least one implementation and/or embodiment of claimedsubject matter. Thus, appearances of such phrases, for example, invarious places throughout this specification are not necessarilyintended to refer to the same implementation and/or embodiment or to anyone particular implementation and/or embodiment. Furthermore, it is tobe understood that particular features, structures, characteristics,and/or the like described are capable of being combined in various waysin one or more implementations and/or embodiments and, therefore, arewithin intended claim scope. In general, of course, as has always beenthe case for the specification of a patent application, these and otherissues have a potential to vary in a particular context of usage. Inother words, throughout the disclosure, particular context ofdescription and/or usage provides helpful guidance regarding reasonableinferences to be drawn; however, likewise, “in this context” in generalwithout further qualification refers to the context of the presentdisclosure.

Electric motors typically include a rotor and a stator. The rotor mayrotate relative to the stator responsive to one or more electric fieldinteractions, such as between a rotor and a stator tooth. Rotor andstator teeth refer to portions of a rotor or stator that protrude fromthe rotor or stator, respectively. For example, an electromagneticforce, such as an attractive or repulsive force, between a tooth of astator and a tooth of a rotor may bring about rotation of the rotor. Insome cases, transmission of current through a coil winding wound about atooth of a stator may generate an electromagnetic force, which mayengender rotation of a rotor relative to a stator. Rotation of the rotormay provide a torque on a shaft of the electric motor, by way ofexample.

There may be a desire for electric motors to operate efficiently. Asreferred to herein, efficiency of an electric motor refers to a ratio ofpower output from the electric motor, such as in the form of torqueprovided by a rotor to a shaft, to power input to the electric motor,such as in the form of one or more electric pulses. In oneimplementation, to achieve desired efficiency, stator teeth may bearranged relative rotor teeth for desired magnetic field interaction. Insome cases, a strength of electromagnetic interaction between stator androtor teeth may be related to a distance separating rotor and statorteeth. As used herein, a distance separating aligned stator and rotorteeth is referred to as an air gap. The closer the aligned rotor andstator teeth, the stronger the electromagnetic force may be. Forinstance, in some conventional electric motor examples, the air gapseparating aligned stator and rotor teeth may be approximately a tenthof 1.0 mm or less, such as for efficiency. In contrast, less efficientconventional electric motor examples may have an air gap of 1.0 mm ormore, by way of illustrative example.

However, achieving efficient operation of electric motors, such as byway of a small air gap, may add complexity and/or cost to manufacturing,operation, and/or repair of an electric motor. For example,manufacturing electric motors with small tolerances may be complicatedand/or expensive. Electric motors with small tolerances, such as withsmall air gaps, may also be less robust and/or may be ill-suited forharsh environments, such as those that may introduce factors that couldcause the electric motor to break or not function properly (e.g., sandyenvironments, such as the desert). Heat dissipation may also be aconcern for electric motors with small tolerances. Furthermore, thecomplexity of electric motors with small tolerances may be such thatcost of the motor may become prohibitive. There may be a desire,therefore, for an electric motor that may operate efficiently withoutthe small tolerances of some conventional electric motors.

Additionally, the supporting electric and mechanical parts of anelectric motor, such as controllers, drivers, transmissions, and/orgearing, among other things, may add to cost and/or complexity for themotor. For example, in some cases, due at least partly to cost andcomplexity of driver circuits for an electric motor, one or more coilwindings of stator teeth may be electrically coupled together. As such,transmission of energy to desired coil windings may be coordinated insome cases. Multiple coil windings coupled together may, in some cases,reduce cost and/or complexity of expensive driver circuits, among otherthings.

However, coupling multiple coil windings together may also renderservicing an electric motor, such as, for example, a coil winding of theelectric motor, complicated and/or expensive. For instance, in somecases in which multiple coil windings are electrically coupled togetherto a driver circuit, replacement of a single defective coil winding maynot be possible without also electrically decoupling the defective coilwinding from other coil windings. Furthermore, in some electric motorimplementations, coil windings on one stator tooth may be in such closeproximity to coil windings of an adjacent stator tooth that it may bedifficult to remove a coil winding without also removing an adjacentcoil winding, for example. Small air gaps and close proximity of coilwindings are two sample ways in which small tolerances of electricmotors may, in some instances, render maintenance and/or repair of adefective coil winding of an individual stator tooth of an electricmotor complicated. With added complexity, in some cases, technicians maynot be able to perform maintenance on portions of an electric motor inthe field. Instead, maintenance may need to be performed in amaintenance facility, which may call for, among other things, removaland transportation of the electric motor from its housing and/or device(e.g., vehicle, air conditioning unit, etc.).

Additionally, some conventional electric motors may wrap coil windingsabout more than one stator tooth, referred to herein as a form ofdistributed winding. In one example of distributed winding, a first coilwinding may be wrapped about more than one stator tooth, a second coilwinding may be wrapped about more than one stator tooth, and the firstand second coil windings may be wrapped, at least in part, about a samestator tooth. In some cases, use of distributed winding may be desirablewhen dealing with alternating current sine waves. However, as should beapparent, removing a first coil winding from a stator tooth may berendered more complicated by a second (or more) coil winding alsowrapped about the same stator tooth.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example distributed winding rotor and statorembodiment. Stator 14 may comprise a plurality of stator teeth 16, ofwhich an example stator tooth 16 is indicated. As illustrated, more thanone coil winding may be arranged about a stator tooth 16. Coil winding18 a, indicated with a dot fill pattern, refers to a first coil windingthat is wrapped, at least in part, about six different stator teeth 16.Coil winding 18 b, indicated with diagonal lines, refers to a secondcoil winding that is also wrapped, at least in part, about six differentstator teeth 16. And coil winding 18 c, indicated with a solid whitefill, refers to a third coil winding that is also wrapped, at least inpart, about six different stator teeth 16. Thus, in the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 6, each stator tooth 16 is wrapped, at least inpart, with more than one coil winding 18 a, 18 b, or 18 c. As should beapparent, removing a stator tooth and/or stator coil in this arrangementmay be complex and may call for substantial removal of coil windings 18a, 18 b, and 18 c. It may be desirable, therefore, to have coil windingsarranged to enable repair and/or service of an electric motor.

To facilitate detachment of a stator tooth, in one embodiment, a givencoil winding may be wrapped about at most one tooth, referred to hereinas non-overlapping coil windings. For instance, in some cases, it may beless complicated to decouple a first stator tooth 16 if a coil winding18 of first stator tooth 16 is not also wrapped about a second statortooth 16.

Servicing an electric motor at a maintenance facility may lead toadditional cost and/or inconvenience. The non-limiting example of anelectric motor of an industrial air conditioning unit is offered by wayof illustration. For instance, to repair such an air conditioning unit,heavy equipment, such as a crane, may be needed to remove the electricmotor from the roof upon which the air conditioning unit is installed.Rooftop air conditioning unit removal may not only be costly, but it mayalso cause inconvenience, such as, by way of example, downtime, closingportions of grounds of a building (e.g., a parking lot), etc. Therefore,there may also be a desire for an electric motor that may be serviceablewith less complexity and/or cost. For example, it may be desirable tohave an electric motor that may be serviceable without having totransport the electric motor to a maintenance facility; insteadperforming repairs in the field, by way of example. By way ofnon-limiting example, it may be desirable to have an electric motor of arooftop air conditioning unit that may be serviceable by a technicianwithout having to remove the electric motor from the roof. By way offurther non-limiting example, it may be desirable to have an electricmotor of an electric vehicle that may be serviceable by a technician onthe side of the road.

FIG. 1 illustrates an electric motor that may be serviceable withcomparative ease, such as without having to remove an electric motorfrom a device and/or transport it to a maintenance facility. Thus,according to one embodiment, it may be possible to repair a portion ofan electric motor in the field. An example electric motor 10 maycomprise a rotor 12 and a stator 14. Rotor 12 may comprise a pluralityof rotor teeth, of which rotor teeth 20 a and 20 b are indicated by wayof illustration in FIG. 1. Stator tooth 16 represents an example statortooth that has been removed from stator 14 as illustrated by the brokenlines and arrows between the cavity in stator 14 and stator tooth 16.While only one stator tooth 16 and two rotor teeth 20 a and 20 b arelabeled, it is to be understood that this is merely for the readabilityof FIG. 1. Example stator tooth 16 is magnified and shown below stator14. As operation of stator tooth 16, coil winding 18, and/or electricmotor 10 is described, it should be understood that the numericalidentifiers for stator teeth, rotor teeth, and coil windings may applyto any one or more relevant stator teeth and/or coil windings consistentwith the context of the description.

In one embodiment, stator tooth 16 may be detachable and/or may besecured to stator 14 using a fastener 28. Fastener 28 refers to anyappropriate mechanism for securing or otherwise attaching stator tooth16 to stator 14. For example, in one implementation, fastener 28 maycomprise a bolt and/or a nut and may traverse one or more fastenerreceptacles 36 of stator 14 and channel 30 of stator tooth 16. In analternative embodiment, rather than traversing stator tooth 16, one ormore fasteners 28 may secure one or more ends of stator tooth 16 tostator 14. For example, a fastening mechanism may attach to one or moreextremities of stator tooth 16, such as without having to traversestator tooth 16. Removing a long fastener may be undesirable in certaincircumstances, for example, and thus one or more smaller fasteners maybe more suitable, such as if space is limited. FIG. 7A illustrates afastener embodiment with one or more smaller fasteners 28. In oneexample, a spacer or receptacle 36 may be coupled to a stator tooth 16to enable one or more fasteners 28 to attach stator tooth 16 to stator14. In another example detachable stator tooth 16, stator tooth 16 maycomprise one or more tabs or clips that may be secured to stator 14. Forexample, FIGS. 7B and 7C show two example tabs 40 that may be usable tocouple stator tooth 16 to stator 14. FIG. 7B shows tab 40 with anopening such that fastener 28 may be inserted through the fastener in adirection substantially perpendicular to tab 40. In an alternativeembodiment, tab 40 may be arranged such that fastener 28 is to beinserted in a direction substantially parallel to tab 40. While FIG. 7Bonly shows one tab 40, it is to be understood that in someimplementations, one or more additional tabs 40 may also be arranged onstator tooth 16, such as for coupling to stator 14. Alternatively, inone embodiment, stator tooth 16 may be coupled to stator 14 by a tab 40at one extremity and a different fastening mechanism, such as one ormore of fasteners 28 in FIG. 7A, at a different extremity. Such anembodiment may be desirable in cases in which, for example, one or morefasteners 28 of electric motor 10 are readily accessible at only oneend, and/or may not be readily accessible based, for instance, onfastener orientation and/or fastener obstruction (e.g., a fastener 28substantially parallel with a spine or structural member of stator tooth16 may not be readily accessible if arranged adjacent to, and thusobscured by, some other structure, etc.). In some cases in which afastener does not traverse a length of stator tooth 16, it may bedesirable to provide additional structural reinforcement to stator tooth16, such as by way of a rigid structural member. In one example, aspine-like structural member may run through stator tooth 16 and may be,in at least some cases, be usable to secure via one or more fasteners.FIG. 7B shows an example stator tooth 16 having a structural member 42that may, among other things, serve to reinforce stator tooth 16. In anycase, an appropriate fastener may make it possible to service a coilwinding and/or a stator tooth such as by coupling and removing adetachable stator tooth 16.

In an implementation of a stator 14 with detachable stator teeth 16,defective and/or malfunctioning coil winding 18 and/or stator tooth 16may be removed from stator 14, such as by removing fastener 28 andstator tooth 16 from stator 14. Removal of detachable stator tooth 16may comprise detaching a coil winding 18 from a driver of drivers 22. Areplacement stator tooth may be inserted into a position freed byremoval of the defective stator tooth 16 and a coil winding of thereplacement stator tooth may be coupled to a driver of drivers 22. Tosecure new stator tooth 16 into place, fastener 28 may be inserted intofastener receptacle 36 and channel 30. As should be apparent, theability to detach a stator tooth 16 from stator 14 may reduce complexityof repair and/or maintenance of electric motors.

Repair and/or maintenance of an electric motor may also be rendered lesscomplex by being able to remove a coil winding from a driverindependently of any other coil windings of the electric motor. Asmentioned above, some conventional electric motors may have one or morecoil windings that may be electrically coupled together and/or mayoverlap such as part of a distributed winding arrangement. For example,in one embodiment, a plurality of coil windings of a conventional stator14 may be electrically coupled to a same driver or controller, such asvia a common bus, by way of non-limiting example. In contrast, however,the present description proposes an example electric motor comprisingcoil windings 18 about stator teeth 16 that are coupled to one or morecontrollers 26 and/or drivers 22 independently of other coil windings 18about other stator teeth 16. Further, the present description alsoproposes an example electric motor comprising non-overlapping coilwindings. As such, in one implementation, a coil winding 18 of a firsttooth may be removed from controller 26 and/or one or more drivers ofdrivers 22 without necessarily interfering with a coupling between asecond coil winding 18 and a controller 26 and/or one or more drivers ofdrivers 22.

Thus in contrast to certain conventional electric motors, the presentdisclosure proposes an embodiment wherein multiple coil windings 18 maybe coupled independently of one another to relevant control circuitry,such as drivers 22, controller 26, and/or supply 24. The embodimentillustrated in FIG. 1 uses a dash-dot line pattern between coil winding18 and a driver of drivers 22 to indicate an electric coupling 32. Thus,by way of example, in one implementation, coil winding ends 18′ may beelectrically coupled to driver #13 of drivers 22, such as to enabletransmission and/or reception of electrical signals between driver #13and coil winding 18, via an electrical coupling 32. In one case, forinstance, coil windings may be electrically coupled to drivers 22 suchthat there may be a one-to-one coupling arrangement of coil windings todrivers (e.g., first coil winding coupled to driver #1, second coilwinding coupled to driver #2, etc.). Further, drivers 22, such as driver#13, may be electrically coupled to controller 26 via a bus 34 to enabletransmission of electrical signals between drivers 22 and controller 26.Supply 24 may also be electrically coupled via drivers 22 and/orcontroller 26 to one or more coil windings 18. Of course, in otherembodiments, supply 24 may be coupled directly to drivers 22 or to coilwindings 18.

By coupling a first coil winding 18 to a relevant driver (e.g., driver#13) of drivers 22 independently of other coil windings 18, it may bepossible to remove the first coil winding 18, such as for servicing,without necessarily decoupling one or more other coil windings 18 from acorresponding driver (e.g., driver #14) of drivers 22. An electric motorwith a non-overlapping coil winding arrangement also makes possibleremoval of a first coil winding 18 without necessarily unwinding one ormore other coil windings. As should be apparent, independently coupledand/or non-overlapping coil windings 18 may render maintenance and/orrepair of an electric motor 10 less complex such that, among otherthings, it may be possible to service electric motor 10 in the field.

It is noted that coil windings that are coupled independently of othercoil windings, such as to at least one driver of a plurality of drivers,may be arranged to allow transmission and/or reception of signalsbetween portions of an electric motor 10 (e.g., drivers, controllers,power sources, coil windings, etc.). As illustrated by the embodiment ofFIG. 1, drivers #1-#16 of drivers 22 may be arranged (e.g., electricallycoupled) between a coil winding 18 of a stator tooth 16 and a controller26. Bus 34 refers to a mechanism suitable to enable a transmissionand/or reception of signals between drivers 22, controller 26, and/orsupply 24. Thus, in one embodiment, signals may be transmitted fromand/or received by supply 24 via a driver of drivers 22 to a coilwinding 18 of electric motor 10. Of course, an embodiment is alsocontemplated in which signals may be transmitted from and/or received bysupply 24 directly to a driver and/or a coil winding 18 of a statortooth 16. In any case, transmission of current pulses to coil windings,such as coil winding 18, may generate an electromagnetic force which mayengender rotation of rotor 12.

While the drivers may be formed on separate devices, in some cases itmay be desirable to form multiple drivers (e.g., drivers 22) on a singledevice. For example, multiple drivers 22 may be formed in a singledevice using any one of several suitable CMOS processing technologies,for example. In other implementations, multiple drivers may be formedalong with a processor (e.g., digital controller or microprocessor core)on a single device (e.g., as a system on a chip). Such a processor mayprovide signals to control the opening and closing of switches formultiple drivers controlling coil windings for multiple stator teeth ofa motor. In a particular implementation, such a single deviceintegrating a processor and multiple drivers may comprise a package withmultiple external terminals (e.g., a ball grid array package) mountableto a printed circuit board. For example, the external terminals of thepackage may be coupled to charge storage devices (e.g., capacitors), oneor more windings of respective stator teeth and a power supply 24 thatare integrated with a motor. Of course, other embodiments arecontemplated by the present description, such as, for example, driverscapable of coupling to a plurality of coil winding sets. The coilwinding sets may be electrically coupled in series or parallel, such asto accommodate larger and/or fewer drivers, etc., such as according todesign constraints.

In the course of its operational life, an electric motor may be servicedand/or repaired, for any number of reasons. By way of example,supporting circuitry, such as a driver, controller, power supply, etc.,may be replaced. By way of further example, in some cases, a defectivecoil winding or a stator tooth may be replaced. In some implementationsof an electric motor 10 with detachable stator teeth 16, it may bepossible to service or repair electric motor 10 with less difficultythan some traditional electric motors with stator teeth that are notdetachable. In some cases, service or repair of some large and/or heavyelectric motors may include removal of large and heavy stator/rotorunits. Due, at least in part, to coil windings that may not beindependently coupled to a driver circuit, by way of example, servicingtraditional electric motors may be a complex or challenging task.Complexity may also be due at least partly to small tolerances, such assmaller air gaps between aligned rotor and stator teeth and/or coilwindings that may not allow extraction of a stator tooth without firstunwrapping coil windings of adjacent stator teeth, by way of example. Anadditional factor potentially adding to repair and/or maintenancecomplexity may include distributed winding arrangements, for example.

For instance, as mentioned above, repair of industrial air conditioningunits arranged on a roof may be performed using large equipment, such asa crane, to remove the electric motor for service or repair. However, byusing an electric motor 10 with detachable stator teeth (e.g., statortooth 16) and/or independent coil windings 18, certain example electricmotors may be serviced in the field by a technician. Service in thefield may comprise detaching a detachable stator tooth (e.g., statortooth 16), and/or detaching a detachable coil winding (e.g., coilwinding 18) that is independent of other coil windings of electric motor10, without transporting electric motor 10 to a facility for repairs ormaintenance, for example. In some cases, a defective stator tooth 16and/or coil winding 18 may be removed from electric motor 10, replacedwith a new stator tooth 16 and/or coil winding 18, and the defectivestator tooth 16 and/or coil winding 18 may be sent for refurbishing.

Processes and methods for manufacturing electric motors with detachablestator teeth and/or coil windings may differ from the processes andmethods of manufacturing traditional electric motors. Manufacturing anelectric motor 10 with one or more detachable stator teeth 16, maycomprise forming stator 14 separately from the one or more detachablestator teeth 16. Further, a wire may be wound about the one or moredetachable stator teeth 16 to form a coil winding 18 during themanufacturing process, such as prior to attaching the one or moredetachable stator teeth 16 to stator 14, and may be wound in anon-overlapping arrangement. A first coil winding may be coupled to adriver of the electric motor independently of at least a second coilwinding wound about a second detached stator tooth. As such, in certainimplementations, replacement stator teeth 16 may be fabricatedseparately from a stator 14, and/or may be available as after-marketproducts. Thus, detachable stator teeth 16 may be sold separately fromelectric motor 10, or may be included with electric motor 10 asreplacement parts, by way of limiting example.

As shall be shown, detachable stator teeth and/or coil windings, such asstator tooth 16 and coil winding 18, may be enabled by certain technicalfeatures of example electric motor implementations. For example, anelectric motor 10 with larger tolerances, such as having a larger airgap between stator and rotor teeth, may allow use of detachable statorteeth (e.g., stator tooth 16), by way of example. By way of furtherexample, independently coupled coil windings 18 of an electric motor 10,may facilitate removal of one coil winding 18 from one or morecontrollers 26 and/or one or more of drivers 22 without interfering withan electric coupling between other coil windings 18 and the one or morecontrollers 26 and/or one or more other drivers of drivers 22.

Additionally, in some conventional electric motors, coil windings onadjacent stator teeth of some conventional electric motors may be inclose proximity, such as being separated by small distances. The closeproximity of stator teeth and/or coil windings may impede detaching astator tooth from the stator. However, in contrast, some exampleimplementations consistent with claimed subject matter propose having asufficient distance separating coil windings 18 of adjacent stator teeth16 to allow detaching and removing a stator tooth 16 in the field.

In contrast to some conventional electric motors with tight tolerances,such as in spacing of stator teeth and/or small air gaps separatingaligned stator and rotor teeth, embodiments of claimed subject mattermay make it possible for electric motors with larger tolerances tonevertheless offer efficient operation by recapturing and reusingenergy. In one implementation, improvements to efficiency may beachieved based at least partly on a driver/coil winding arrangement thatmay be capable of recapturing charge that has traversed a coil winding.

One such implementation is illustrated in FIGS. 3A-3C, and comprises asimplified arrangement of parts of an electric motor, such as electricmotor 10 of FIG. 1. The example arrangement in FIG. 3A may be capable ofdriving a current I₁ from a power source PS through a coil winding 18.Changes in current, such as I₁, through coil winding 18 may induce anelectromagnetic force. If a switch S is closed, as shown in FIG. 3A,current Ii may drive charge into a charge storage device C. Chargestorage device C represents a device, such as a capacitor, capable ofholding a charge. In one embodiment, charge stored in charge storagedevice C may be transmitted back through coil winding 18, such as in asubsequent motor cycle.

Switches usable in drivers 22 may operate as conducting elements, suchas FETs, to permit current to pass between source and drain terminalsbased, at least in part, on a voltage applied to a gate terminal. Itshould be understood, however, that other types of devices such as abipolar transistor, thyristor, diode, variable resistor, etc. may beused as a conducting element, and that claimed subject matter is notlimited in this respect. In this context, a switch may comprise aconducting element having first and second terminals that may form aconnection between the first and second terminals by providing aconductive path between the first and second terminals having a verysmall or negligible impedance for a particular signal. In one particularexample implementation, a conductive element may vary in impedancebetween the first and second terminals based, at least in part, on asignal provided to a third terminal of the conductive element (e.g.,based on a voltage or current applied to a third terminal). In oneaspect, a conductive element may “close” to thereby connect first andsecond terminals in response to a signal provided on the third terminal.Likewise, a conductive element may “open” to thereby disconnect firstand second terminals in response to a different signal provided on thethird terminal. In one aspect, a conductive element in an open state mayisolate a first portion of a circuit from a second portion of thecircuit by removing or disrupting a conductive path between the firstand second portions of the circuit. In another aspect, a conductingelement may vary an impedance between first and second terminals betweenopened and closed states based on a signal provided to a third terminal.

FIG. 3B illustrates a voltage V₁ across terminals of charge storagedevice C. Voltage V₁ may reflect charge, such as from current I₁, storedin charge storage device C. While in some embodiments a charge storagedevice C, such as a capacitor, may attempt to discharge or transferstored charge back into the circuit, opening switch S may serve to holdstored charge in charge storage device C. Thus, by opening switch S,charge, such as represented by V₁ across terminals of charge storagedevice C, may be held in charge storage device C. As such, it may bepossible to achieve a desired efficiency by capturing charge, such as incharge storage device C, to be used in later cycles of an electricmotor.

Further, as should be apparent, in one implementation it may be possibleto control charge and discharge of charge storage device C, such as byopening and closing switch S. FIG. 3C illustrates charge being drivenfrom the charge storage device through coil winding 18 in the form of12. In one embodiment, by closing switch S, charge may be driven backthrough coil winding 18, a second electromagnetic force may be generatedon coil winding 18 which may engender rotation of a rotor. Thus,efficient operation of an electric motor, even, in some cases, anelectric motor with larger tolerances, such as a larger air gapseparating aligned rotor and stator teeth, may be achieved by capturingcharge for use in subsequent cycles using a charge storage device and/ora switch, by way of non-limiting example.

In one embodiment, the charge making up 12 may be driven back to powersource PS. The charge may be captured, such as by storing the charge ina battery or other charge storage device, and reused, such as by addingit to a subsequent current pulse to be driven through coil winding 18.

TABLE 1 Charge in volts (V) Time t_(i) PS 18 C t₀ V₁ 0 V 0 V t₁ 0 V V₁ 0V t₂ 0 V 0 V V₂ t₃ 0 V V₂ 0 V t₄ V₁ + V₃ 0 V 0 V

Table 1, above, illustrates operation of an example coil winding 18 anddriver (e.g., a driver of drivers 22) comprising a switch S and a chargestorage device C at variety of times It is noted that the column labeledPS refers to charge driven from a power source PS and not necessarily atotal charge stored in a power source PS. Thus, power source PS maytransmit discrete portions of charge that it stores to coil winding 18.At a first time to, charge may be driven from power source PS to coilwinding 18, as illustrated in FIG. 3A. A first voltage V₁ may begenerated across a terminal of power source PS and a terminal of coilwinding 18 (e.g., a coil winding end 18′, not shown in FIG. 3A), asshown in Table 1. At a second time t₁, the charge may be driven throughcoil winding 18, as shown by the first voltage V₁ across terminals(e.g., coil winding ends 18′ of FIG. 1), as shown in Table 1. Drivingcharge through coil winding 18 may engender an electromagnetic fieldthat may be capable of providing a torque on a rotor tooth (e.g., rotortooth 20 a or 20 b in FIG. 1) in proximity to stator tooth 16.

Subsequent to time t₁, coil winding 18 may attempt to drive chargetoward a charge storage device C, such as a capacitor, by way ofnon-limiting example. The charge driven from coil winding 18 maytraverse switch S, which may be in a closed position, thus allowingcharge to travel from one of its terminals to a second one of itsterminals, and on to charge storage device C. It may be desirable tohold charge in charge storage device C, such as for timing, and thusswitch S may be opened. As such, in one embodiment, charge stored incharge storage device C may be maintained until desired, such as toprovide a torque on a rotor 14. FIG. 3B illustrates a third time, t_(3,)at which switch S is in an opened position and a voltage V₂ (e.g., whereV₂≈V₁, as charge may be lost during transmission from power source PS,via coil winding 18, to charge storage device C, among other things) maybe measured across terminals of charge storage device C.

As illustrated in FIG. 3C, at a fourth time t_(3,) switch S may beplaced in a closed position, thus allowing charge to be transmitted fromcharge storage device C, such as shown by 12, back through coil winding18. Thus, a voltage V₂ may be measured across coil winding 18. It may bedesirable in some cases, to transfer the charge back into power sourcePS (e.g., a battery), such as for subsequent cycles or phases. As such,at a subsequent time, t_(4,) the charge received from charge storagedevice C may be combined with further charge to, as shown by V₁+V₃ inTable 1, for efficient operation.

It should be understood that two or more coil windings may be logicallypaired to engender electromagnetic field pulses at approximately a sametime. Thus, at time t₁, as a first coil winding 18 generates a firstelectromagnetic force responsive to charge transmitted from a powersource PS, a second coil winding 18 may generate a secondelectromagnetic force responsive to charge transmitted from a chargestorage device C. Thus, the net power from power source PS used for thefirst and second electromagnetic forces from the power source PS is thepower for the first electromagnetic force minus the power for the secondelectromagnetic force, based at least partly on charge from chargestorage device, which may be transmitted back to power source PS. Itshould be understood that such operation may offer significantefficiency improvements over prior approaches.

Due at least partly to efficiency of recaptured charge, aluminum (Al)coil windings may be used instead of copper (Cu) coil windings in atleast one embodiment. While Cu coil windings may tend to conduct chargemore efficiently than Al coil windings, Al coil windings may weigh lessthan Cu coil windings. As such, by being able to recapture and reusecharge, potential inefficiencies in Al coil windings may be offset byefficient operation and lighter coil windings. For at least thisadditional reason, it may be desirable to recapture and reuse charge.

As shown, then, in some cases it may be desirable to recapture energytransmitted through coil winding 18, as the recaptured energy may renderelectric motor 10 more efficient. However, rather than wrapping a singlecoil winding 18 about stator tooth 16, in one implementation, aplurality of coil windings may be used, such as is shown by first coilwinding 18 a and second coil winding 18 b in FIG. 5. For example, theremay be a desire for a relatively inexpensive and/or simple way ofoperating electric motors at low voltages. One approach may comprisetransforming a low voltage, such as from a battery, to a higher voltageto drive an electric motor. FIG. 4A illustrates a simple transformercomprising a mutually inductive coil winding pair. As shown, anoscillator (e.g., an AC power source) may drive a current I_(p) througha primary coil winding 8 a. Of course, transformers operate consistentlywith the law of conservation of energy and Faraday's law of induction,such that a power on first mutually coupled coil winding 8 a is equal toa power on second coil winding 8 b of the mutually coupled inductivepair, represented as P=I_(p)V_(p)=I_(s)V_(s). According to Faraday'slaw, there is a relationship between the number of turns of the coilwinding and the induced voltage. As such, it may be possible to induce adesired voltage and/or current on second coil winding 8 b by selectingan appropriate coil, such as with an appropriate number of turns. Forexample, Faraday's law

of induction provides that a voltage for a wound coil may be representedas

${V = {{- N}\frac{d\; \Phi}{dt}}},$

where N refers to a number of turns of a coil winding and dΦ refers to achange in magnetic flux. In other words, a voltage on a coil winding maybe proportional to a change in magnetic flux. Additionally, Lenz's lawprovides that changes in current on one coil winding of a mutuallycoupled coil winding pair, may be opposed by current induced on theother coil winding of the pair. Thus, changes in I_(p) in primary coilwinding 8 a may induce an electromagnetic field. In response, anopposing electromagnetic field may be induced on secondary coil winding8 b, which may generate a current I_(s), which is opposite in directionto that of I_(p). And because, as noted, if second coil winding 8 bcomprises more coil turns than primary coil winding 8 a, a step-upeffect may be created wherein a lower voltage V_(p) may generate agreater voltage V_(s) on the secondary coil winding 8 b. Furthermore, itmay be desirable to, rather than using a separate transformer, enablethe coils of an electric motor to act as a step up transformer.

According to an embodiment, a change in a current through a coil windingon a stator tooth may induce a magnetic force, creating a torque todrive a motor. In a particular implementation, a stator tooth maycomprise two coil windings, a first coil winding to receive a signalfrom a power supply and a second coil winding to generate the magneticforce creating the torque. It may be desirable to enable yet furtherefficiency in electric motor operation by capturing and/or reusing thecurrent generated on the second coil winding. In one embodiment, thismay be achieved by allowing stored charge to oscillate through thesecond coil winding. Responsive to changes in current through the secondcurrent from oscillation of the stored charge, the second coil windingmay induce a magnetic force to create the torque. For instance, thesecond coil winding may be arranged relative one or more charge storagedevices (e.g., capacitors) to form a resonance circuit capable ofmaintaining an oscillating current to induce an electromagnetic field.In a particular implementation, one or more switches may be used in adriver circuit to, among other things, facilitate control of timing ofoscillations of current through the second coil winding. In particularimplementations, the first and second coil windings on the stator toothform a mutually inductive pair such that the first coil winding may, inresponse to a power signal, generate a magnetic field inducing a currentin the second coil winding. The driver circuit may synchronize theinduced current in the second coil winding and add it to current in thesecond coil winding from the oscillating charge.

In one embodiment, a first coil winding 18 a and a second coil winding18 b may be wound about a stator tooth 16 as illustrated by FIG. 5.Stator tooth 16 of FIG. 5 may comprise a detachable stator tooth. FIG.4B illustrates a resonance circuit embodiment to demonstrate particularoperation of particular features of first and second coil windings 18 aand 18 b according to an embodiment of stator tooth 16 and a simpledriver circuit, such as may be used to apply torque to a rotor. Amagnetic force may be induced responsive to changes in current throughsecond coil winding 18 b. The induced magnetic force may apply a torqueto one or more rotor teeth (e.g., rotor tooth 20 a or 20 b in FIG. 1).Additionally, energy that is not used or lost in inducing the magneticfield may be captured in a charge storage device, such as a capacitor.Charge storage devices C1 and C2 represent devices, such as capacitors,capable of storing and discharging a charge. Therefore, the top portionA (shown with dotted line) of FIG. 4B may be capable of acting as anenergy pendulum in which charge may be stored in C1 or C2,alternatively. While charge is in transit through second coil winding 18b, a change in current through second coil winding 18 b may induce anelectromagnetic force, applying a torque to one or more rotor teeth.

While energy in the resonance circuit may be converted to work or lostas charge oscillates between C1 and C2, the lower portion of FIG. 4B maybe capable of introducing additional energy as current into second coilwinding 18 b. In one embodiment, a ratio of turns about stator tooth 16of first coil winding 18 a to turns about stator tooth 16 of second coilwinding 18 b may be selected to achieve a step-up transformer effect.For instance, acceptable ratios may include, but are not limited to,1:2, 1:3, 1:5, and 1:10. Thus, an electric and magnetic field (EMF)responsive to changing current in first coil winding 18 a may generate adesired current in second coil winding 18 b that may be added to currentbetween charge storage devices C1 and C2. For instance, in oneembodiment, second coil winding 18 b may have 10× more turns than firstcoil winding 18 a, such as to enable an increased voltage on second coilwinding 18 b. Of course, any other appropriate ratio may be selectedaccording to desired operation and operational parameters (e.g., inputvoltage, desired output voltage, etc.), and claimed subject matter isnot limited in this respect.

TABLE 2 Charge in volts (V) Time t_(i) C₁ 18b C₂ t₀ V₁ 0 V 0 V t₁ 0 V V₁0 V t₂ 0 V 0 V V₂ t₃ 0 V V₃ V₂

Table 2 illustrates charge location in the resonance circuit of FIG. 4Bat a plurality of points in time, For simplicity, it is assumed that theresonance circuit is a simplified ideal circuit. Accordingly, in oneembodiment, at a first time to, a first voltage V₁ may be stored incharge storage device C1. Charge storage device C1 may tend to equalizeits voltage with that of charge storage device C2. Therefore, at asecond time t₁, charge may be driven from charge storage device C1through second coil winding 18 b. Changes in current in second coilwinding 18 b may induce a magnetic force, applying a torque to a rotor.Once charged, however, second coil winding 18 b may tend to dischargeand drive charge back to charge storage devices C1 and/or C2. As such,at a third time, t_(2,) charge may be driven to charge storage deviceC2. Thus, a second voltage (e.g., V_(2,) where V₁≈V₂) may be stored atcharge storage device C2. At a fourth time, t_(3,) additional charge maybe generated in second coil winding 18 b. For instance, current may beaffected in second coil winding 18 b by driving a current from a powersource PS (e.g., a battery) through first coil winding 18 a. The currentgenerated in second coil winding 18 b (e.g., corresponding to a voltageV₃ across terminals of second coil winding 18 b) may then be added to orotherwise combined with the charge oscillating between charge storagedevices C1 and C2 (e.g., referred to as an energy pendulum in FIG. 4B),such as to facilitate operation of an electric motor 10. The arrangementof PS, 18 a, S1, C2 and D1 in FIG. 4B may form what may be referred toas a switched inductor boost circuit. As such, while current may begenerated in second coil winding 18 b responsive to an EMF, current insecond coil winding 18 b may also be based at least partly on currentgenerated from the switched inductor boost circuit. Thus, in oneimplementation, diode D1 may serve to keep current from being generatedin first coil winding 18 a and diode D1 may also serve as part of theswitched inductor boost circuit to transfer charge from the switchedinductor boost circuit to the top portion A.

As discussed above, tolerances of an electric motor, such as an air gapseparating aligned stator and rotor teeth, may render electric motormaintenance more complicated if such tolerances are small such as havinga small air gap separating aligned motor and stator teeth. FIG. 2Billustrates an air gap of a distance d₂ separating an aligned rotortooth 20 and stator tooth 16. As noted, generally, smaller air gapsseparating rotor teeth 20 and stator teeth 18 may yield electric motorsthat operate more efficiently than electric motors with larger air gaps.Among other things, smaller air gaps may tend to yield strongerattractive or repulsive forces between rotor and stator teeth. However,smaller air gaps separating rotor and stator teeth may tend to yieldmore complex and/or expensive electric motors. As such, in at least somecases, efficiency comes at the cost of more expensive and/or complexelectric motors.

It is noted, however, that by recapturing energy, such as was explainedin reference to FIGS. 3A-3C and 4B, efficient operation of an electricmotor 10 may be achieved even with comparatively larger air gapsseparating rotor and stator teeth. Thus, it may be possible to achieveefficient operation of an electric motor without the complexity and/orcost of an electric motor with minimal air gaps separating rotor andstator teeth.

Thus, by way of illustration but not limitation, instead of having a 0.1mm air gap, implementations of the present disclosure may have an airgap that is greater than or equal to approximately 0.5 mm. By way ofexample, in some cases, an air gap of approximately 1 mm or more may besuitably efficient. Further, in some implementations of electric motor10, air gaps of approximately 2 to 3 mm may operate with sufficientefficiency due, at least in part, to energy recapture.

As discussed above, in one implementation of an electric motor 10,tolerances of electric motor 10, such as an air gap separating alignedrotor and stator teeth, may render a detachable stator tooth 16feasible. FIG. 2A illustrates a rotor 12 and a stator 14 having aplurality of rotor teeth 20 and a plurality of stator teeth 16 aboutwhich at least one coil winding 18 is wrapped. The zoomed portion ofFIG. 2A focuses on an air gap of distance d₁ separating rotor tooth 20and stator tooth 16. In one embodiment, distance d₁ may compriseapproximately 0.5 mm. As is apparent by comparing FIGS. 2A and 2B, d₁ isgreater than d₂. Smaller air gaps, while potentially beneficial forefficiency, may render electric motor service, repair, and/ormaintenance more difficult. As such, in some cases, maintenance of theelectric motor in FIG. 2A may be rendered less complex than maintenanceof the electric motor in FIG. 2B, such as by use of a detachable statortooth 16 and/or in part due to a larger air gap d₁.

Additionally, in some conventional electric motor embodiments, thetolerances may be so small that the proximity of rotor and stator teethmay render removal of coil windings and/or stator teeth difficult. FIG.2C shows one such conventional arrangement of rotor and stator teeth,such as rotor tooth 20 and stator teeth 16 a and 16 b, may have smallertolerances such as a small air gap and coil windings 18 a and 18 b inclose proximity. In some cases, due at least partially to closeproximity between coil windings 18 a and 18 b, it may be difficult toremove a stator tooth, such as stator tooth 16 b, without first removingcoil winding 18 b and/or 18 a. This may render servicing thecorresponding electric motor more difficult.

With the foregoing in mind, it should be apparent that in at least somecases electric motors with larger tolerances may be desirable. Forinstance, if air gaps separating rotor and stator teeth are larger, itmay be possible to access coil winding 18 and/or a stator tooth 16, suchas to detach coil winding 18 and/or stator tooth 16 from stator 14 formaintenance and/or repair, among other things. Thus, by recapturingenergy, a larger air gap may be used, and it may be possible to usedetachable stator teeth.

In the context of the present disclosure, the term “connection,” theterm “component” and/or similar terms are intended to be physical, butare not necessarily always tangible. Whether or not these terms refer totangible subject matter, thus, may vary in a particular context ofusage. As an example, a tangible connection and/or tangible connectionpath may be made, such as by a tangible, electrical connection, such asan electrically conductive path comprising metal or other electricalconductor, that is able to conduct electrical current between twotangible components. Likewise, a tangible connection path may be atleast partially affected and/or controlled, such that, as is typical, atangible connection path may be open or closed, at times resulting frominfluence of one or more externally derived signals, such as externalcurrents and/or voltages, such as for an electrical switch. Non-limitingillustrations of an electrical switch include a transistor, a diode,etc. However, a “connection” and/or “component,” in a particular contextof usage, likewise, although physical, can also be non-tangible, such asa connection between a client and a server over a network, whichgenerally refers to the ability for the client and server to transmit,receive, and/or exchange communications, as discussed in more detaillater.

In a particular context of usage, such as a particular context in whichtangible components are being discussed, therefore, the terms “coupled”and “connected” are used in a manner so that the terms are notsynonymous. Similar terms may also be used in a manner in which asimilar intention is exhibited. Thus, “connected” is used to indicatethat two or more tangible components and/or the like, for example, aretangibly in direct physical contact. Thus, using the previous example,two tangible components that are electrically connected are physicallyconnected via a tangible electrical connection, as previously discussed.However, “coupled,” is used to mean that potentially two or moretangible components are tangibly in direct physical contact.Nonetheless, is also used to mean that two or more tangible componentsand/or the like are not necessarily tangibly in direct physical contact,but are able to co-operate, liaise, and/or interact, such as, forexample, by being “optically coupled.” Likewise, the term “coupled” maybe understood to mean indirectly connected in an appropriate context. Itis further noted, in the context of the present disclosure, the termphysical if used in relation to memory, such as memory components ormemory states, as examples, necessarily implies that memory, such memorycomponents and/or memory states, continuing with the example, istangible.

Additionally, in the present disclosure, in a particular context ofusage, such as a situation in which tangible components (and/orsimilarly, tangible materials) are being discussed, a distinction existsbetween being “on” and being “over.” As an example, deposition of asubstance “on” a substrate refers to a deposition involving directphysical and tangible contact without an intermediary, such as anintermediary substance (e.g., an intermediary substance formed during anintervening process operation), between the substance deposited and thesubstrate in this latter example; nonetheless, deposition “over” asubstrate, while understood to potentially include deposition “on” asubstrate (since being “on” may also accurately be described as being“over”), is understood to include a situation in which one or moreintermediaries, such as one or more intermediary substances, are presentbetween the substance deposited and the substrate so that the substancedeposited is not necessarily in direct physical and tangible contactwith the substrate.

A similar distinction is made in an appropriate particular context ofusage, such as in which tangible materials and/or tangible componentsare discussed, between being “beneath” and being “under.” While“beneath,” in such a particular context of usage, is intended tonecessarily imply physical and tangible contact (similar to “on,” asjust described), “under” potentially includes a situation in which thereis direct physical and tangible contact, but does not necessarily implydirect physical and tangible contact, such as if one or moreintermediaries, such as one or more intermediary substances, arepresent. Thus, “on” is understood to mean “immediately over” and“beneath” is understood to mean “immediately under.”

It is likewise appreciated that terms such as “over” and “under” areunderstood in a similar manner as the terms “up,” “down,” “top,”“bottom,” and so on, previously mentioned. These terms may be used tofacilitate discussion, but are not intended to necessarily restrictscope of claimed subject matter. For example, the term “over,” as anexample, is not meant to suggest that claim scope is limited to onlysituations in which an embodiment is right side up, such as incomparison with the embodiment being upside down, for example. Anexample includes a flip chip, as one illustration, in which, forexample, orientation at various times (e.g., during fabrication) may notnecessarily correspond to orientation of a final product. Thus, if anobject, as an example, is within applicable claim scope in a particularorientation, such as upside down, as one example, likewise, it isintended that the latter also be interpreted to be included withinapplicable claim scope in another orientation, such as right side up,again, as an example, and vice-versa, even if applicable literal claimlanguage has the potential to be interpreted otherwise. Of course,again, as always has been the case in the specification of a patentapplication, particular context of description and/or usage provideshelpful guidance regarding reasonable inferences to be drawn.

Unless otherwise indicated, in the context of the present disclosure,the term “or” if used to associate a list, such as A, B, or C, isintended to mean A, B, and C, here used in the inclusive sense, as wellas A, B, or C, here used in the exclusive sense. With thisunderstanding, “and” is used in the inclusive sense and intended to meanA, B, and C; whereas “and/or” can be used in an abundance of caution tomake clear that all of the foregoing meanings are intended, althoughsuch usage is not required. In addition, the term “one or more” and/orsimilar terms is used to describe any feature, structure,characteristic, and/or the like in the singular, “and/or” is also usedto describe a plurality and/or some other combination of features,structures, characteristics, and/or the like. Furthermore, the terms“first,” “second” “third,” and the like are used to distinguishdifferent aspects, such as different components, as one example, ratherthan supplying a numerical limit or suggesting a particular order,unless expressly indicated otherwise. Likewise, the term “based on”and/or similar terms are understood as not necessarily intending toconvey an exhaustive list of factors, but to allow for existence ofadditional factors not necessarily expressly described.

Furthermore, it is intended, for a situation that relates toimplementation of claimed subject matter and is subject to testing,measurement, and/or specification regarding degree, to be understood inthe following manner. As an example, in a given situation, assume avalue of a physical property is to be measured. If alternativelyreasonable approaches to testing, measurement, and/or specificationregarding degree, at least with respect to the property, continuing withthe example, is reasonably likely to occur to one of ordinary skill, atleast for implementation purposes, claimed subject matter is intended tocover those alternatively reasonable approaches unless otherwiseexpressly indicated. As an example, if a plot of measurements over aregion is produced and implementation of claimed subject matter refersto employing a measurement of slope over the region, but a variety ofreasonable and alternative techniques to estimate the slope over thatregion exist, claimed subject matter is intended to cover thosereasonable alternative techniques, even if those reasonable alternativetechniques do not provide identical values, identical measurements oridentical results, unless otherwise expressly indicated.

Algorithmic descriptions and/or symbolic representations are examples oftechniques used by those of ordinary skill in the signal processingand/or related arts to convey the substance of their work to othersskilled in the art. An algorithm is, in the context of the presentdisclosure, and generally, is considered to be a self-consistentsequence of operations and/or similar signal processing leading to adesired result. In the context of the present disclosure, operationsand/or processing involve physical manipulation of physical quantities.Typically, although not necessarily, such quantities may take the formof electrical and/or magnetic signals and/or states capable of beingstored, transferred, combined, compared, processed and/or otherwisemanipulated, for example, as electronic signals and/or states making upcomponents of various forms of digital content, such as signalmeasurements, text, images, video, audio, etc.

It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of commonusage, to refer to such physical signals and/or physical states as bits,values, elements, parameters, symbols, characters, terms, numbers,numerals, measurements, content and/or the like. It should beunderstood, however, that all of these and/or similar terms are to beassociated with appropriate physical quantities and are merelyconvenient labels. Unless specifically stated otherwise, as apparentfrom the preceding discussion, it is appreciated that throughout thisspecification discussions utilizing terms such as “processing,”“computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” “establishing,” “obtaining,”“identifying,” “selecting,” “generating,” and/or the like may refer toactions and/or processes of a specific apparatus, such as a specialpurpose computer and/or a similar special purpose computing and/ornetwork device. In the context of this specification, therefore, aspecial purpose computer and/or a similar special purpose computingand/or network device is capable of processing, manipulating and/ortransforming signals and/or states, typically in the form of physicalelectronic and/or magnetic quantities, within memories, registers,and/or other storage devices, processing devices, and/or display devicesof the special purpose computer and/or similar special purpose computingand/or network device. In the context of this particular disclosure, asmentioned, the term “specific apparatus” therefore includes a generalpurpose computing and/or network device, such as a general purposecomputer, once it is programmed to perform particular functions, such aspursuant to program software instructions.

In the preceding description, various aspects of claimed subject matterhave been described. For purposes of explanation, specifics, such asamounts, systems and/or configurations, as examples, were set forth. Inother instances, well-known features were omitted and/or simplified soas not to obscure claimed subject matter. While certain features havebeen illustrated and/or described herein, many modifications,substitutions, changes and/or equivalents will now occur to thoseskilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appendedclaims are intended to cover all modifications and/or changes as fallwithin claimed subject matter.

CONCLUSION

In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a rotor having a plurality ofrotor teeth; and a stator having a plurality of stator teeth. The one ormore of the plurality of stator teeth are detachably coupleable to thestator.

In one implementation of the apparatus, at least one of the one or moreof the plurality of stator teeth further comprises at least one coilwinding.

In one implementation of the apparatus, at least one coil winding isdetachably coupleable to a corresponding one of a plurality of diversindependently of coil windings of other stator teeth of the plurality ofstator teeth.

In one implementation of the apparatus, the at least one coil winding ofa first one of the plurality of stator teeth is arranged relative the atleast one coil winding of a second one of the plurality of stator teethto enable detachment of the first one of the plurality of stator teeth,wherein the first one and the second one of the plurality of statorteeth are adjacent.

In one implementation of the apparatus, the corresponding one of theplurality of drivers comprises one or more charge storage devices forrecapture of energy transmitted through the at least one coil winding.

In one implementation of the apparatus, the rotor and the stator arearranged for an air gap separating aligned stator and rotor teeth ofapproximately 1 mm or more.

In one implementation of the apparatus, the one or more of the pluralityof stator teeth are detachably coupleable to the stator via one or morefasteners.

In one implementation of the apparatus, the at least one coil windingcomprises Cu. In an alternative embodiment, the at least one coilwinding comprises Al.

In one implementation of the apparatus, the apparatus also includes acontroller electrically coupled to a plurality of drives, and whereinthe plurality of drivers are configured for a one-to-one coupling with aplurality of detachably coupleable coil windings.

In one implementation of the apparatus, the one or more of the pluralityof stator teeth comprise a channel for receiving a fastener to couplethe one or more of the plurality of stator teeth to the stator.

In one implementation of the apparatus, the stator comprises at leastone fastener receptacle for receiving the fastener.

In one implementation of the apparatus, the one or more of the pluralityof stator teeth is detachably coupleable to the stator via at least onefastener at one or more ends of the one or more of the plurality ofstator teeth.

In one implementation of the apparatus, the one or more of the pluralityof stator teeth comprises a rigid structural member coupled to the atleast one fastener.

In one implementation of the apparatus, at least a first driver of theplurality of drivers comprises a charge storage device coupled to aswitch for recapture of energy transmitted through at least one of theplurality of coil windings.

In one embodiment, a method of servicing an electric motor includes:detaching a stator tooth from a stator of the electric motor, the statorcomprising a plurality of stator teeth, wherein the stator tooth isdetached while maintaining at least one other stator tooth of the statorattached to the stator; and detaching one or more coil windings of thedetached stator tooth from a corresponding driver circuit of one or moredriver circuits of the electric motor while maintaining coil windings ofthe at least one other stator tooth of the plurality of stator teethattached to the one or more driver circuits.

In one implementation of the method, the method also includes sendingthe detached stator tooth comprising the detached one or more coilwindings for refurbishing.

In one implementation of the method, the method also includes attachinga new one or more coil windings to the corresponding driver circuit ofthe one or more driver circuits.

In one implementation of the method, the method also includes attachinga new stator tooth comprising the new one or more coil windings to thestator of the electric motor.

In one embodiment, method of manufacturing an electric motor includes:providing a plurality of stator teeth detached from a stator of theelectric motor; winding at least one coil winding about a first detachedstator tooth of the plurality of stator teeth; and coupling the at leastone coil winding to a driver of the electric motor independently of atleast a second coil winding wound about a second detached stator tooth.

In one implementation of the method, the method also includes attachingthe detached stator teeth to the stator of the electric motor.

In one implementation of the method, the method also includes providingreplacement stator teeth comprising at least one coil winding.

1-19. (canceled)
 20. A method of manufacturing an electric motor, the method comprising: providing a plurality of stator teeth detached from a stator of the electric motor; winding at least first and second coil windings about a first stator tooth of the plurality of stator teeth; and coupling the at least first and second coil windings to a driver circuit of the electric motor independently of at least one coil winding wound about a second stator tooth of the plurality of stator teeth, wherein the second coil winding to be arranged to combine a first current from discharge of at least one charge storage device of the driver circuit through the second coil winding and a second current to be generated in the second winding responsive to magnetic energy from the first coil winding, wherein one or more of the plurality of stator teeth are individually detachably coupleable to at least a portion of the stator to enable replacement of an individual stator tooth of the one or more of the plurality of stator teeth during servicing of the electric motor after installation of the electric motor.
 21. The method of claim 20 further comprising attaching the detached stator teeth to the stator of the electric motor.
 22. The method of claim 20 further comprising providing at least one replacement stator tooth comprising at least one coil winding.
 23. The method of claim 20, and further comprising arranging the first and second coil windings of the first stator tooth relative the at least one coil winding wound about the second stator tooth to enable detachable replacement of the first stator tooth, wherein the first stator tooth and the second stator tooth are to be adjacently attached to the stator.
 24. The method of claim 20, and further comprising arranging the stator and a rotor for an air gap separating aligned stator and rotor teeth of between approximately 0.5 mm and approximately 3 mm.
 25. The method of claim 20, and further comprising detachably coupling one or more of the plurality of stator teeth to the stator via one or more fasteners.
 26. The method of claim 20, wherein the at least the first coil winding comprises copper.
 27. The method of claim 20, wherein the at least one coil winding comprises aluminum.
 28. The method of claim 20, and further comprising electrically coupling a plurality of driver circuits with a plurality of detachably couplable pairs of coil windings to provide one-to-one coupling of the plurality of driver circuits with the plurality of detachably coupleable pairs of coil windings.
 29. A method of manufacturing an electric motor, the method comprising: coupling at least first and second coil windings wound about a first stator tooth of a plurality of stator teeth to a driver circuit independently of at least one coil winding wound about a second stator tooth, wherein the second coil winding to be arranged to combine a first current from discharge of at least one charge storage device of the driver circuit through the second coil winding and a second current to be generated in the second winding responsive to magnetic energy from the first coil winding, wherein one or more of the plurality of stator teeth are individually detachably coupleable to at least a portion of a stator to enable replacement of an individual stator tooth of the one or more of the plurality of stator teeth during servicing of the electric motor after installation of the electric motor.
 30. The method of claim 29, and further comprising coupling a channel of at least the first stator tooth to the stator at a fastener.
 31. The method of claim 29, and further comprising detachably coupling at least the first stator tooth to the stator via at least one fastener at one or more ends of the at least the first stator tooth.
 32. The method of claim 31, wherein the at least the first stator tooth comprises a rigid structural member detachably coupleable to the at least one fastener.
 33. The method of claim 29, wherein the charge storage device is coupled to a switch to enable recapture of energy transmitted through the second coil winding.
 34. The method of claim 29, and further comprising: detaching the first stator tooth from the stator while maintaining at least one other stator tooth of the plurality of stator teeth attached to the stator; and detaching the first and second coil windings of the detached first stator tooth from the driver circuit while maintaining coil windings of the at least one other stator tooth of the plurality of stator teeth attached to one or more other driver circuits.
 35. The method of claim 34, and further comprising sending the detached first stator tooth comprising the detached first and second coil windings for refurbishing.
 36. The method of claim 34, and further comprising attaching a pair of new coil windings to the driver circuit.
 37. The method of claim 36, and further comprising attaching a new stator tooth comprising the pair of new coil windings to the stator.
 38. The method of claim 36, further comprising attaching a new stator tooth comprising the pair of new coil windings to the stator of the electric motor.
 39. The method of claim 29, and further comprising attaching the detached stator teeth to the stator of the electric motor.
 40. The method of claim 29, and further comprising providing replacement stator teeth comprising at least one coil winding. 